The Beginning of the Rest of their Life
by BookwormBpants
Summary: This is my take on how the night before Harry and Ginny's wedding could have gone. It fits into my Harry Potter universe about a year after the end of Red Headed Engagements and a Night in Prison, but it can stand alone.
Harry rolled over and let the last vestiges of sleep leave him. He had worked his last night shift last night, or at least his last night shift until after he and Ginny returned from their holiday. Their wedding was tomorrow night. Harry rolled on to his back and glanced over to see his godson sleeping peacefully on the bed beside him. He had picked up Teddy from Andy after he got off work. He had convinced the little boy to go back to sleep, Harry hadn't wanted a stag party and he hoped having the young boy present would dissuade the Weasley brothers.

Harry heard someone insert a key into his lock and knew that soon a hoard of red headed men would descend upon him. He rolled out of bed and headed to the door, he was greeted rather enthusiastically by his future father and brothers in law. Harry couldn't help but grin as he was wrapped up in the warm embrace of the Weasley men.

"You look like Hell mate, what time did you get to bed this morning?"

"Ron, after being friends with Hermione for ten years how are you still this tactless?"

"Just lucky I guess, but really Harry, you look exhausted."

Harry laughed, "I had to stay late to finish some paper work I am off for almost three weeks. Then I picked up Teddy. I thought he might enjoy being one of the big boys for a night."

Mr. Weasley wrapped his arm around Harry, "He's more than welcome, I've had words with the boys we'll keep tonight low key."

Teddy started to stir and Harry saw his hair turn a confused blue before he caught sight of the Weasleys and Harry. With his hair returned to its usual turquoise Teddy bolted over to the other men.

Harry scooped up the delighted toddler and gestured for the Weasley men to follow him into the kitchen.

"I did some cooking yesterday, with this many Weasley men in the flat I was afraid I'd run out of food."

George Grinned from his perch on the counter, "Don't be silly Harry, Mum sent us with enough food to feed a small army. Now my dear brethren, how are we going to initiate Harry into the family?"

Ron snorted, "Because he hasn't been a part of the family since he was eleven."

Billy smirked from the other side of the kitchen, "He has been our little brother, but tomorrow he also becomes our brother in law. There is a difference ikle ronnikins."

Charlie snorted, "Although I think marrying Ginny may be punishment enough."

Harry raised his eyebrows at Charlie, "That is my fiancé your talking about."

Percy stepped into the middle of the room, "Now, now, let's not fuss. I think we can all agree that Ginny is terrifying, and Harry is one of the select few who could cohabitate with her without winding up dead."

All the Weasley men nodded in agreement and Harry just sat back and let the absolute chaos overtake him.

**********************************************************8

Ginny was going to murder someone. She was getting married to the man she loves tomorrow; she should not be contemplating homicide. Her mother and her current and future sisters in law had wanted to spend the day together since the boys were going to have a day with Harry. It was moments like this when everyone was fussing over details that Ginny had no interest in fussing with, that she regretted not eloping. She and Harry had discussed eloping so many times. It made sense, the prophet had been harassing them and everyone they knew for details about the wedding and since they found out Harry proposed. Then there were the emotional things to consider. Ginny had hordes of family to invite; Harry had extended an invitation to his cousin and Aunt, but was doubtful they would come. So many people who should be there couldn't. But Harry, noble as ever, had said that denying her mother the chance to plan and attend the wedding of her only daughter would be wrong. So they would have a wedding, it was bound to be more of a circus, but it was best to leave the elopement to George. Ginny was fairly positive that George could never have a wedding without Fred there to be his best man.

Ginny was dragged from her thoughts by Fleur taking her mug of hot chocolate, "What are you doing Fleur I was drinking that."

It was Audrey who jumped to her defense, "Ginny you are getting married tomorrow you don't want to eat junk that could make you bloated you need to fit into your wedding dress."

Ginny stood up indignant, "Is that why you all have been so weird around me and food since I got the wedding dress. I am a professional athlete, I take care of my body, it never even occurred to me to worry about fitting into my dress."

Angelina shoved a carrot into Ginny's hands, "Of course it wouldn't that's why we've been worrying about it for you."

Ginny tossed the carrot back to her, and sat down next to Hermione, she realized almost immediately that she had made a serious mistake.

Hermione immediately began grilling her on final changes to the seating chart, and the timeline she had made for tomorrow. Her mum and the rest of the women soon joined in and Ginny began to feel quite overwhelmed. None of these things mattered to her; the only thing she cared about was that she got to marry the man she loved.

Ginny stood up and the other women were so engrossed in their chatter she didn't think they even noticed her. She made her way to the door and escaped out the kitchen door of the Burrow before they even realized she was gone. Ginny hurried towards the apparition border and with a crack disappeared to the only place she felt safest.

***************************************************************8

Harry heard a key turn in his door, and looked towards it in surprise everyone who would visit him this evening was already here. He was surprised to see Ginny walk through the door looking distressed. Harry pulled her into the kitchen and she sunk into his embrace.

Harry buried his head in Ginny's hair taking in the gentle flowery scent that he always associated with her, "What's wrong love?"

Ginny muttered from where she had her face buried in Harry's neck, "I needed to get away the bride brutally murdering the female contingent of her family might put a damper of the wedding."

Ginny pushed back from Harry and smiled, she opened the jar Harry kept the apple tarts in. She leaned against the counter eating the apple tart, "Remind me again why we didn't just elope?"

Harry laughed and perched next to Ginny on the counter, "We've had this conversation almost every day since we got engaged and we always reach the same conclusion."

Ginny snorted, "I know we can't elope, it's just…" Ginny turned and remembered her father and brothers were in the room, "Come with me."

Ginny pulled Harry out the door of the flat, "I might just be being silly, but it feels like this wedding is turning into a circus, and none of that matters to me. I just need you and me."

Harry smiled at Ginny and leaned forwards to give her a quick kiss, "you and I getting married is all that matters to me as well." Harry paused to think, "I have an idea, wait here."

Harry dashed back into the flat, and grabbed his work bag, "Ron can you watch Teddy for a few hours?"

Ron quirked an eyebrow, "Didn't Hermione say the bride and groom had to stay apart for twenty four hours before the wedding?"

"Ron I'm going to take Ginny and calm her down, otherwise tomorrow I might have to arrest the bride at the wedding."

Ron's shudder was mirrored in the other Weasley men who all hurried forwards to push Harry out the door; an angry Ginny was definitely something to be worried about.

************************************************8

Ginny felt calmer then she had in days. Harry's presence did that to her, he was hurrying her through the streets of muggle London. She didn't know where he was taking her, but he kept telling her to trust him. The walked into the sort of institutional building that muggles seemed to be fond of, and Ginny's interest was piqued. Harry stopped several times and Ginny watched as he talked to one person at a desk after another. Finally they reached the last desk and Harry pulled Ginny to the side.

"You said you wanted a way for us to get married and have it be just you and me. Well here's the way. We can get married here today in the muggle world and then tomorrow can be about our family."

Ginny threw her arms around Harry, "this is perfect, let's do it."

Harry guided her to the desk they signed some paperwork and were led into a judge's chambers. The judge spoke some simple vows and then asked Harry and Ginny to repeat them. She wasn't quite sure what she said, but she doubted she would ever forget the love in Harry's eyes when he said I do. Soon they were back in the street, but now they each had a simple gold band on their left hands.

"What would you like to do now, love?"

Harry wrapped and arm around Ginny, "Well I don't know about you, but I am starving. Your brothers showed up before I had time to eat."

"What would you like to eat, after the ruckus with the carrots I'm a bit hungry myself."

"How about we stop at the least healthy place we see and eat something greasy and disgusting."

Ginny wrapped her arms around Harry, "that is why I love you. That sounds perfect."

Once they were ensconced in a booth eating food that was terrible for them Ginny felt herself relax completely.

"Thank you for this Harry."

Harry smiled that crooked smile she liked so much, "for what feeding you fattening food?"

Ginny nudged his shoulder, "no for calming me down, for marrying me even though you're going to marry me again tomorrow, and for feeding me. I never thought I would do the whole bridzilla thing, but I guess I couldn't completely escape it."

"It's fine, this planning a wedding thing isn't for the faint of heart. I would gladly marry you as many times as I have to so we can spend the rest of our lives together. And you're a Weasley I learned years ago that the way to your heart was through your stomach."

Ginny sighed and rested her head on Harry's shoulder, "Well I promise not to make you marry me a third time. After all this is only the beginning for us."

Harry nodded, "I can't promise it'll be perfect Ginny, but I want us to have a good life."

Ginny smiled, "I don't need perfect Harry, I just need you and me. Hopefully someday we'll have kids, and they will most definitely be a handful. We'll fight sometimes, because let's face it we both have terrible tempers, but we won't stay mad. We'll stick together and get through the hard times as a family. And someday when the kids are grown and have families of their own it'll be just you and me again."

Harry nodded, picking up where Ginny left off, "we'll be old, I won't be able to see, you'll have trouble getting around and we'll spend long afternoons sitting in rocking chairs on the porch our house will have to have. It will be a good life, it may not be an easy life, or a simple one, but it'll be ours."

Ginny nodded, "what do you say we skive off for a bit longer?"

"What did you have in mind?"

"We could walk through that park with all the twinkle lights."

Harry laughed, "you do love the twinkle lights, let's go."

*****************************************************************8

Harry couldn't imagine a better life than the one he was living right now. He was walking arm in arm with the woman he loved, on the eve of their wedding. He had friends, good friends, and a godson he loved people he cared about and who cared about him in return. It all seemed too good to be true. Sometimes he worried that he would wake up and all of this would be some vivid dream. He would be stuck in his cupboard again, miserable and alone. Or even that he'd wake up and they would still be at war. Harry wasn't used to good things happening to him. It still felt wrong like he didn't deserve any of it.

He was pulled from his reverie by Ginny gently nudging him in the ribs, "Do you want to visit the cemeteries love?"

Harry nodded, "Fred first or Godric's Hollow?"

"Godric's Hollow, Fred is so close to home, I'll just head back to the girls after we visit him."

This Harry thought as they disappeared with a pop was the darker side of their love story. Half of their wedding guests were dead and buried.

They walked through Godric's Hollow together and Harry couldn't help but wonder if they would be making a different trip if things had gone differently. Would they have stopped at his parents' house instead? Would his mum have been torturing Ginny along with the other women and Harry would be spending the night before his wedding with the men in his family as well as Ginny's? His thoughts consumed him until Ginny stopped walking. They stood together facing the five headstones, which were all Harry had left of his family. Or he should say of the family he was born into. Harry stopped to put flowers on his parents grave first, then Sirius, and finally Remus and Tonks. He stood with his arm around Ginny as they both allowed themselves to be carried away by their own thoughts.

Finally Harry squeezed Ginny's shoulders a bit tighter and she nodded, they disappeared with a pop and reappeared in the cemetery where Fred was laid to rest. Harry held Ginny as she broke down in front of Fred's gravestone. He wiped the tears from his eyes as Ginny caught Fred up on everything that had happened since she had last been to see him. When the moon was high in the sky and Harry and Ginny were mentally and physically exhausted Harry walked Ginny home. They meandered through the village of Ottery St. Catchpole and Harry dropped Ginny off at her door with a chaste kiss and promise that he would be back tomorrow to marry her again.

Harry arrived back at his own flat and snorted in laughter as he saw all the Weasley men and Teddy asleep in a blanket fort that stretched over most of the flat. Harry found a clear spot between Teddy and Ron and curled up on the floor to go to sleep. After all tomorrow was the beginning of the rest of his life and he didn't want to keep his bride waiting.


End file.
